Investigation Summary
Flight 655 was a multi-stop service from Memphis to Dallas. During a stop at El Dorado, the crew observed a line of severe thunderstorms to the west. They identified what they believed to be a 15-mile-wide break in the weather echoes and decided to depart under VFR rather than activating their IFR flight plan. After takeoff, the captain took over navigation, directing the first officer to fly various headings to circumvent the storm cells. Cockpit voice recordings revealed a significant breakdown in situational awareness. The first officer repeatedly expressed concern about their position and the proximity of terrain, stating he was 'paintin' ridges' on the radar and was unfamiliar with the area. The captain dismissed these concerns, erroneously claiming the highest terrain in the area was only 1,200 feet. In reality, the flight had wandered into the Ouachita Mountain Range. While attempting to fix their position using the Page VORTAC, the captain ordered a descent to 2,000 feet. The first officer, consulting an en-route chart, realized they were below the safe altitude and began to state the minimum en-route altitude was 4,400 feet just as the aircraft struck the mountain.
Final Conclusions
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause was the captain's attempt to operate the flight under VFR in night IMC without using all available navigational aids and his deviation from the preplanned route without adequate position information. The board also cited the carrier's failure to adequately monitor and control the progress of the flight through its dispatch system, noting that a proper analysis of the weather should have led to a delayed departure or a safer rerouting.
Video Analysis
UE - Texas International Airlines Flight 655 Wreckage — A look at the wreckage and history of Texas International Airlines Flight 655, which crashed into Black Fork Mountain, Arkansas, on September 27, 1973.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Ralph Crosman, age 41
First Officer
William Tumlinson, age 37
Systems & Failure Modes
Weather Radar
The crew used the onboard radar to identify a perceived break in the storm line, but the captain failed to use it effectively for terrain avoidance despite the first officer's warnings.
VORTAC / Navigational Aids
The crew was attempting to use the Page VORTAC to fix their position just seconds before impact, but they had already descended below the safe altitude for the region.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a 25-year-old Convair CV-600 that had originally been built in 1948.
- 02The flight deviated approximately 100 nautical miles north of its intended direct course to Texarkana.
- 03The impact occurred at 188 knots (207 mph) on a heavily wooded slope 600 feet below the ridge line.
- 04At the time of the accident, the aircraft was not required to carry an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).
- 05A search helicopter, an Arkansas National Guard UH-1D, crashed during the search operation, killing three additional people and bringing the total event-related death toll to 14.
Safety Actions & Advisories
IFR Requirement for Commercial Flights
Following this and similar accidents, FAA regulations were updated to require that all commercial airliners operate under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plans when carrying passengers, regardless of weather conditions.